Cory Sandhagen believes he’s found the answer to a question that has left the bantamweight division stumped: how do you stop Merab Dvalishvili? For 11 fights in a row, fighters have tried and failed to solve the puzzle that is ‘The Machine’. Armed with his insane cardio capabilities, the Georgian bantamweight champion is known for drowning his opponents with his relentless pressure. Even elite minds, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, have always stuck to the same core philosophy: outwork your opponent and break their will.
But ‘The Sandman’ sees a critical flaw in that approach—one that even ‘The Eagle’ overlooked. And the American fighter believes his own loss to Khabib’s student Umar Nurmagomedov proves it. In a recent interview with Luke Thomas, Sandhagen laid out his blueprint which was simple but went against conventional wisdom. “The more that you move your feet, the more tired you’re gonna get, especially if that movement is backwards. You have to stand your ground against Merab.”
Sandhagen further said, “Don’t run from him, and hit him when he comes in. Make your movement a lot smaller because it is all that footwork that really tires people out.” Basically, the idea is not to succumb to the pressure Dvalishvili puts you. You have to stand your ground and pick the champion apart when he’s moving in. And these countershots rely on small movements.
It’s a strategy that contradicts what most fighters attempt. The typical response to Merab’s relentless forward pressure? Move, circle, and stay on the outside. But Corey Sandhagen believes that’s exactly what feeds into Merab Dvalishvili’s game. Instead of wasting energy trying to evade him, Sandhagen wants to hold the center, limit unnecessary movement, and make Merab work for every exchange. This isn’t just a theory—Sandhagen learned it the hard way.
The Umar Nurmagomedov lesson—What Khabib missed
Sandhagen has already experienced what happens when you fail to control the pace against an elite wrestler. His loss to Umar Nurmagomedov exposed a major flaw in the way most fighters approach pressure-heavy grapplers. “It’s not really a matter of shape, it’s more style and resource usage.” That’s where he believes Khabib Nurmagomedov and ‘The Eagle’ school of thought missed a key element. Their philosophy is built on outworking the opponent—but Sandhagen argues that pace management is just as important. Fighters don’t gas out because they’re unprepared. They gas out because they waste energy in the wrong moments.
“You need to try to set a pace that you can hold. Boxers are okay with losing a couple of rounds if it means winning the entire fight. They know how to set a pace.” Sandhagen believes he can break the cycle. Instead of trying to keep up with Merab, he wants to disrupt his rhythm, reset, and force him into inefficient movement.
MMA: UFC 311 Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov Jan 18, 2025 Inglewood, California, USA Merab Dvalishvili red gloves celebrates after winning a UFC bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov blue gloves during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. Inglewood Intuit Dome California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20250118_jhp_sv5_0477
Sandhagen’s plan isn’t just about avoidance though, it’s about strategic resistance. “When Merab backs you up, get back to the middle of the cage. Strike when he moves forward and try not to move too much.” Most fighters against Merab find themselves trapped against the fence, overwhelmed by takedown attempts and volume striking. Sandhagen’s approach flips that dynamic—he refuses to give up space. He wants to force Merab into the open, where his volume-heavy wrestling becomes less effective.
On paper, it’s a brilliant strategy. But can he pull it off? Merab’s cardio is unmatched, his pace is suffocating, and so far, no one has managed to slow him down. Sandhagen’s history against elite grapplers raises fair doubts. But what sets him apart is his fight IQ and adaptability. If he can dictate the exchanges instead of reacting to Merab’s pressure, he just might be the one to finally crack the code. For years, fighters have tried to outwork Merab Dvalishvili. Corey Sandhagen’s approach? Outthink him.
What do you think of Sandhagen’s solution to the puzzle that is Merab? Do you think it’s easier said than done? After all, fight analysis is quite different from an actual fight. ‘What ifs’ and ‘buts’ get thrown out of the window when you’re getting punched in the face or taken to the ground. Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post UFC Rival Claims He’s Cracked the Code That Even Khabib Missed Against Merab Dvalishvili appeared first on EssentiallySports.
